Self-dumping paddle wheel



w. H. SMITH.

SELF DUMPING PADDLE WHEEL. I APPLXCATAION FILED FEB-8.1921;

1,409,036; Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

1 izz,

W. H. SMITH.

SELF DUMPING PADDLE-WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED-FEB. 8, 1921.

1,409,036. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2- llllll l l k \Illlllll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. SMITH, OF HALLS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNDR 0F ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE P. DAVIS AND ONE-FOURTH TO \VILLIAM J. DAWES, BOTH OF HALLS, TENNESSEE.

SELF-DUMPING PADDLE WHEEL.

Application filed February 8, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I TVTLLIAM H. SMITH. a citizen of the United States. residing at Halls, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self- Dumping Paddle Vheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to propellersor paddle wheels. and more particularly to that type which is self-dumping, or wherein the wheel is provided with movable blades adapted to feather when entering and leaving the fluid.

An object of the present invention is to provide a propeller or paddle wheel of this type with blades which are so mounted upon the wheel structure that the blades are capable of automatically assuming the various desired positions .for feathering and for transmitting pressure against the body of the fluid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a peculiar support for the blades upon the-wheel body which is adapted to brace the blades throughout their entire lengths and'to admit of the automatic overthrowof the blades by gravity during their passage over the upper portion of the wheel and to admit the automatic adjustment of the blades to present their hearing faces against the fluid when passing beneath the wheel.

A still further object of the invention is toprovide a propeller or paddle Wheel structure of this character which is substantially braced to hold the ends or spiders of the wheel in true alinement and to ably maintain the blades with their pivots or turning portions in true alinementto prevent bind- 111 TVith the foregoing and other objects in View the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended i hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a paddle wheel constructed according to the present invention;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 19. 2.

Serial No. 443,404..

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken axially through the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of a portion of the wheel, showing a blade attached thereto in section; 7

Fig. 4c is a detail sectional view taken through the supporting member of the wheel. body and in the plane of said member with the blade removed;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through the supporting member on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4:;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one end of a blade showing the slupporting member in position thereon;

F ig. 7 is a detail side elevation of a pair of the bearing irons removed from the blade;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken through the same on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7 and .Fig. 9 is a transverse section taken through the blade audits supporting men ber on the line 99 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1O designates a shaft or axle which forms the center of rotation about which the paddle wheel is adapted to turn. Mounted on the axle 10 are a number of hubs 11 of any suitable construction and arranged in any desired number, in the present instance three being shown. The hubs 11 which carry a plurality of radiating arms 12 form with the hub a spider so that the body of the wheel is composed of two or more such spiders. The arms 12 of the spiders are reinforced and held in suitably spaced apart re lation by concentric ring braces 13 which, as shown in Fig. 1, are bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the arms 12 and which may also afford attaching means for cross braces or tie rods 14; used in the further reinforcement of the wheel body.

The arms 12 are so arranged as to register lengthwise of the wheel and be disposed in pairs or in groups with their outer ends alining. The arms 12 carry upon their outer ends blades or paddles 15 constructed in any suitable manner and of any desired material and which have means of attachment and bearing upon each adjacent arm 12. The means for attaching the blades 15 to the wheel body comprises, at each pivotal support of the blade, an outer supporting member composed. of a pair of complemental semicircular sections 16 and 17 which are preferably under-reamed to provide an annular channel 18, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5,

and overhanging flanges 19 at their opposite sides of the supporting member for a purpose which will subsequently appear The supporting member is provided with a fork or socket at its inner end formed of complemental arms 20 projecting from the portions 16 and 17 and which are recessed to provide a socket therein for the reception of the outer end of the adjacent arm 12. Bolts 21 or the like may be employed for bolting the arms20 against the opposite.

sides of thearm 12 to thus rigidly secure the supportingmember upon the outer end of the arm. Each section 16 andl'? 18 provided with a peripheral stop or shoulder 22, and

' the shoulders 22 are arranged substantially diametrically opposite each other or at 180 for limiting the'swinging of the blade 15, as will later appear.

The members 16 and 17 may be con st-ructed in any suitable manner for interlocking engagement at their outer ends. In the present instance the adjacent ends of the members 16 and 1? are reduced int-hick-v ness or stepped and are adapted to interfit vin stepped relation and are secured together by a locking screwor pln 2321s shown which may be threaded into the steppedportion which is innermost. In this manner the annular channel 18 is continuous and the members 16 and 17 are firmly held together as a unit. v

The blade 15 is provided upon opposite sides and in registry wit-h the adjacent arm 12 with a pair of bearing irons 24 of semicircular construction and for the purpose of reducing weight and amount of material may be apertured or slot-ted as at 25 leaving spoked portions 26 for reinforcing the annular rim composed of the two members 24%.

22 whenthe blade 15 is swung in opposite directions. The plates 27 terminate at the inner ends of the members 24: and in line with the inner edge of the blade 15 so'that the bearing member is mounted at the inner edge portlon of the blade and'the axis of rotat-ion of the bearing member is inwardly of *"the median line between the inner and outer "edges of the blade. V

Such construction and. mounting of the bearing member when seated in the support admits of the overthrow of the outer edge of the blade 15 by gravity as the supports are carried over the top of the wheel. The plates'27 are bolted or otheiwviseflrigidly secured by bolts 29 or the like against the opposite sides of the blade 15 and, serve also as a reinforcement for the blades.'-

The bearing member, which may be generally indicated by 24, is adapted to turn withina supporting member 16, 1? within the limits defined by the shoulders 22.

In use, when the wheel is rotated in the direction shown by the arrows in Fig, 1, the

blade 15, which, by gravity, hangs down against the lower shoulder 22, is in position for entering the surface level of the water in substantially an edgewise direction so as to reduce the impact or resistance required for the submersion of the blade. As soon, however, as the lower edge of the blade 15 strikes the surface of the water the force exerted upon the lower edge of the blade swings the latter outwardly from the center of the wheel and substantially into the position shown by numeral;15 where the blade has just been immersed. As the propeller rotates the fluid is impacted against the upper edge portion of the blade as well as the lower edge port-ion, and-there isatendency to turn the blade into a position with its line of resistance of the fluid. The tendency of'such movement brings the blade substantially into the positionshown at 15= at the bottom of the wheel, and such position is practically maintained until the reaches-the point 15? At this point the inner edge of the blade is raised out of the water and consequently all of the pressure or weight of the water above the blade is imposed upon the outer edge thereof with the result that said outer edge is swung downwardly into the position shown in 15 or against the opposite shoulder 22 from that shown at 15? Theblade thus rests'on the working face at a substantial anglejto the blade shoulder until the wheel moves sufiiciently for carrying theblade 15" over the top of the wheel when, vby gravity, the outer end of the blade swings over into opposite position or into that which isshown at 15.-

It is apparent that by providing the pair in the waterv to hold the blade 15 from turning into an'edgewise position, andto form a bearing which cannot easilyjget out of "aliiiement. Theiflanges 19're'tain the bearing member in proper position or in 'line with the adjacent arm 12. Of course, any number of thesebearing members and supporting members may be used throughout the length of the blade 15 and dependent upon the number of spiders or other supports which are used in the body construction of the propeller.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifioally described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is 1. A propeller comprising a rotatable body portion, a plurality of blades, and pivotal means connecting said blades to the body portion and located between the inner and outer edges of the blades, whereby impact of fluid against the working surface of the blades is adapted to control the movement thereof by pressure at opposite sides of said pivots, substantially as described.

2. A propeller comprising a rotatable body portion, a plurality of blades, and pivots for the blades, said pivots connecting said blades to the body portion at points of the blades located between the inner and outer edges of the blades and toward the inner edges thereof whereby the outer edge portions of the blades are adapted by impact of fluid thereagainst to regulate the-positions of the blades in the fluid and during entrance and exit therefrom, substantially as described.

8. A propeller comprising a rotatable body portion, a plurality of blades mounted on said body portion, bearing members nrounted on the blades in planes transverse thereto and remote from the outer edges of the blades, supporting members mounted on the body portion adapted to embrace said bearing members for rotatably maintaining the same therein, said blades having apertures therethrough at the outer ends of said bearing members through which said supporting members are adapted to engage whereby said blades are permitted a swinging movement upon said supporting members, substantially as described.

4:. A propeller comprising a rotatable body portion, a plurality of blades, transversely arranged bearing members mounted on opposite sides of said blades and in alinement with each other, said blades having apertures therethrough at the outer ends of said bearing members, and supporting members mounted on the body portion and extending through said apertures and about said bearing members for rotatably supporting said blades, said supporting members having stops thereon arranged in position to limit the swinging of the blades in opposite directions, substantially as described.

5. In a propeller, a rotatable body having a pair of radially extending and alining arms, a pair of supporting members of ring shape mounted upon the outer ends of said arms, a blade, pairs of semicircular bearing members secured against opposite sides of the blade and near opposite ends thereof and forming circular bearings adapted to fit in said supporting ring members, said ring members having stops thereon at opposite sides adapted to engage the blade and limit the swinging thereof in opposite directions, said blade being adapted to turn upon said supporting ring members under impact of fluid thereagainst and incident to gravitation by passage of said blade over the top of said rotary member, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. SMITH. 

